Apparatus for bearing down a ring rail

ABSTRACT

APPARATUS FOR BEARING DOWN A RING RAIL INCLUDES MEANS DRIVEN AT A PREDETERMINED SPEED BY THE DRIVE FOR A TEXTILE STRAND PROCESSING MACHINE, MEANS MOVABLE OUT OF A POSITION REMOTE FROM THE MEANS DRIVEN AT A PREDETERMINED SPEED TO DRIVING ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH, AND MEANS FOR LOWERING THE RING RAIL DRIVEN BY SAID MOVABLE MEANS.

Feb. 23, 1971 YE ETAL 3,564,830

Q I APPARATUS FOR BEARING DOWN A RING RAIL Filed 001... 17, 1968 z eets-sheet 1 INVENTORS. BOBBY R.AYERS' BY WILLIAM B. SEABROOK /m1 it, {your ATTORNEYS F151). 23, 1971 AYERS ET AL APPARATUS FOR BEARING DOWN A, RING RAIL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 001-. 17, 1968 mm W R O T N E V m BOBBY R. AYERS By W\LL|AM B. SEABROOK ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,564,830 APPARATUS FOR BEARING DOWN A RING RAIL Bobby R. Ayers, Anderson, S.C., and William B. Seabrook, Gastonia, N.C., assignors to Seabrook, Inc.,

Anderson, S.C., a corporation of South Carolina Filed Oct. 17, 1968, Ser. No. 768,396 Int. Cl. D01h 9/14 US. C]. 5754 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for bearing down a ring rail includes means driven at a predetermined speed by the drive for a textile strand processing machine, means movable out of a position remote from the means driven at a predetermined speed to driving engagement therewith, and means for lowering the ring rail driven by said movable means.

This invention relates to an attachment for a spinning frame and the like, for automatically bearing down the ring rail utilizing the driving means of the spinning frame.

Heretofore, power operated attachments have been provided utilizing fluid operated cylinders and the like, for bearing down the ring rail. Such a device is illustrated in US. Letters Patent No. 2,503,099, issued Apr. 4, 1950, in the name of Ernest F. Culbreath. Such devices require a power medium not ordinarily available in reliable sup ply in the mill, and are diflicult for mill employees to repair due to their unfamiliarity with such mechanisms. Devices heretofore, provided, have met with some success in solving the problem of providing power operated means for bearing down the ring rail. Such, however, are subject to the difficulties previously mentioned. Since the source of mill air supply is not dependable devices operated thereby have met with difliculty.

Accordingly, it is an important object of this invention to provide an etfective automatically operable device for bearing down the ring rail of a spinning frame and the like.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a. device for bearing down the ring rail which does not require great strength to operate thus, permitting operation by female employees.

Another important object of the invention is to provide an effective automatically operable device for bearing down a ring rail which may be readily repaired by regular mill employees.

Still another important object of the invention is to provide a reliable mechanical means for bearing down the ring rail which is operated by power from the spinning frame, and which can be repaired by personnel in the spinning room.

The construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described, together with other features thereof.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein an example of the invention is shown and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic front elevation illustrating a spinning frame equipped with apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention, with parts omitted and parts broken away,

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation taken on line 22 in FIG. 1 at an enlarged scale, and

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view, with parts omitted and parts broken away, further illustrating apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention.

The drawings illustrate a textile strand processing machine having driving means therefor. Apparatus for bearing down the ring rial includes means A driven at a predetermined speed by the driving means for the textile strand processing machine. Means B is movable out of a position remote from the means driven at a predetermined speed into driving engagement with the means driven at a predetermined speed. Means C for lowering the ring rail is driven by the movable means so that bearing down of the ring rail may be accomplished utilizing the driving means for the textile strand processing machine. Suitable means connect the movable means to the ring rail for effecting such driving engagement. The means B includes an eccentrically mounted rack gear having a recessed portion so located thereon as to disengage the rack gear from gear means A after the ring rail is lowered a predetermined amount.

Referring now especially to FIG. 1, the numeral 10 designates the Sampsons of a spinning frame and, in this case, a 1937 Saco-Lowell spinning frame is illustrated schematically. The box rail is illustrated at 11 for carrying the spindles 12 on which the yarn packages 13 build. The spindles are carried in the upper flange of the box rail and a lower flange is joined thereto by web members 11a. The main cylinder and other driven parts of the spinning frame are driven by suitable means, such as the motor illustrated at 14, through a suitable power take-off mechanism 15. Lifter rods, such as illustrated at 16, are provided for raising and lowering the ring rails 17 positioned, respectively, on each side of the spinning frame. A ring rail 17 carries spinning rings 18 in openings 19 (FIG. 3) provided therein.

The driving means A is driven at a predetermined speed by the driving means for the spinning frame from a drive sprocket 20 carried by an intermediate gear 21, such as is normally positioned on a spinning frame and the like. The drive sprocket 20' drives a chain 22 which, in turn, drives a compound gear 23. The compound gear 23 drives a chain 24, which in turn, drives a sprocket 25. The sprocket 25 drives a shaft 26 at constant or a predetermined speed. The shaft 26 is mounted in an anti-friction bearing 27 carried in a bracket 28 which has suitable mounting on the inside of the Sampson 10a of the frame 10. The motor 14 is mounted adjacent the Sampson 1012 at the other end of the frame.

The means A includes a gear 29 which is driven at a constant speed by the driving mechanism of the spinning frame through the shaft 26. The mechanical means B carried by said ring rail movable out of a position remote from the means A into driving engagement with the means A includes a rack gear 30 having pivotal connection on a stub shaft 31 to a transverse arm 32. The arm 32 has a pivotal connection as at 33 with a cross-girt 34 of the spinning frame. The arm 32 has connection through a chain 35 with the ring rail 17. The chain 35 is connected adjacent the free-end of the arm by an S-hook 36 and is connected by an S-hook 37 to the inside of the ring rail. A turn buckle 38 is provided for adjusting the length of the chain 35. Thus, as the ring rail 17 is raised and lowered the arm 32 will be raised and lowered above its pivot point 33.

Means C are provided for lowering the ring rail and such includes a chain 39 which has fixed connection as at 40 with a segmental member 41 carried 'by a bracket 42 mounted on a rocker shaft 43. The rocker shaft is provided with a foot pedal 44 on each side of the spinning frame. Each foot pedal is carried by a lever arm 45 on one end thereof. The other end of each lever arm has fixed connection with the rocker shaft 43 which is mounted for rotation in suitable brackets 46 depending from the lower flange of fixed rail 11. A member 47 is spring biased outwardly at the bottom and pivotally mounted on the top of a vertical member 48. The latching member 47 forms a part of what is known in the trade as an Auto Stop Ring Rail Latch. The means C further includes a sheave 49 which is mounted for rotation on a stub shaft 50 carried between the legs of a bifurcated member 51. The member 51 is carried for lateral adjustment in the slot 52 of the leg 53 of a bracket. A vertical bracket leg 54 has a vertical slot 55 for vertical adjustment by tightening and loosening the bolts 56 (FIG. 1). The bolts 56 secure the bracket to a web portion 11a of the fixed rail 11. The chain 39 passes downwardly over the sheave 49 and is secured as at 57 adjacent the free-end of the arm 32.

The rack gear 30 carries an adjustable stop 58 which is secured for adjustment by a screw 59 passing through the slot 60 in the stop member 58. The stop member contacts the microswitch 61 carried by the cross-girt 34 after engagement of the rack gear 30 with the gear 29. This occurs after the ring rail has risen in its traversing motions to its highest point. The switch 61 is illustrated in FIG. 1 as being in series with the motor circuit 62 of the motor 14.

It will be observed that the rack gear has an arcuate portion 30a which initially engages the gear 29. The gear is turned in a clockwise direction across the intermediate segment 3% and passes over the terminal portion 300 from whence it becomes disengaged with the gear 29 and falls by gravity in the position shown in FIG. 2. It will be observed that transverse, horizontal adjustment of the rack gear 30 is made possible by adjusting the lateral position of the stub shaft 31 in the slot 60 near the free-end of the arm 32. The rack gear 30 is eccentrically mounted on the stub shaft 31 and a recessed portion 30d is provided on the rack gear opposite the toothed segment 30b to permit the gear 30 to return by gravity to the position illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 after passing the high point 30c of the gear 30.

In operation the ring rail 17 traverses up and down in an ever ascending path so as to build the yarn package 13 progressively from the lower portion of the spindle upwardly until the spindle is substantially full of yarn. When the highest point in the traverse is reached in placing the highest convolution of yarn on the package the upper portion 30a of the rack gear 30 engages the driven gear 29. The drive of the spinning frame, through the gear 29, turns the rack gear 30 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2 causing the free-end of the arm 32 to be lowered pulling down the rail 17 by the chain 39 which lowers the lifter rods 16 permitting the rail to be pulled down by the chain 35. After the rack gear 30 is partially rotated for a predetermined amount, the stop 58 engages the switch 61 to de-energize the frame driving means 14. The rack gear 30 is driven further to its low position by momentum of the driven parts of the spinning frame. When the ring rail is in lowered position the latching member 47 engages the pedal 44 to lock the ring rail 17 in lowered position for dofling the yarn packages 13 preparatory to another package building cycle.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described using specific terms, such description is for illustrative purposes only, and it is to be understood that changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. For use in a textile strand processing machine having driving means therefor, apparatus for bearing down a ring rail which is reciprocated vertically during a yarn building operation including: means driven at a predetermined speed by saiddriving means for said textile strand processing machine; mechanical means carried by said ring rail and movable thereby from a position remote from said means driven at a predetermined speed into driving engagement with said means driven at a predetermined speed when said ring rail reaches a predetermined height during the yarn building operation; and means for lowering the ring rail when said movable means is in engagement with said means driven at a predetermined-speed; whereby bearing down of the ring rail may be automatically accomplished utilizing the driving means for said textile strand processing machine.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein said means includes an eccentrically mounted rack gear having a recessed portion so located thereon as to disengage the rack gear from said means driven at a predetermined speed after the ring rail is lowered a predetermined amount.

3. For use in a textile strand processing machine having driving means therefor and means for hearing down the ring rail preparatory to dofirng strand packages from the machine, the improvement including: gear means driven at constant speed by said driving means for said textile strand processing machine; an arm carried adjacent one end on said strand processing machine on a pivotal mounting; and a rack gear having a pivotal connection to said arm; means connecting said arm remote from said pivotal mounting to said ring rail for moving said rack gear into driving engagement with said gear means.

4. The structure set forth in claim 3 including, switch means for deactivating said driving means for said strand processing machine mounted adjacent said rack gear; and actuating means carried by said rack gear for engaging said switch means when said rack gear is rotated a predetermined amount responsive to movement of said gear means.

5. The structure set forth in claim 4, wherein said rack gear is eccentrically mounted on said arm, being freely rotatable on its eccentric mounting means in a vertical plane, and possesses a recessed portion so located thereon as to disengage the rack gear from said gear means after the ring rail is lowered a predetermined amount; whereby the rack gear assumes by the force of gravity a position to again engage the gear means preparatory to another doffing cycle after the package has been built.

6. The structure set forth in claim 5, wherein said actuating means is so positioned on said rack gear as to engage the switch means for deactivating the driving means prior to disengagement of the rack gear from said gear means; whereby the rail is lowered responsive to movement of the gear means resulting from momentum of the driven parts of the machine.

References Cited STANLEY N. GILREATH, Primary Examiner W. H. SCHROEDER, Assistant Examiner US Cl. X.R. 

